If you want to read 20 Chapters ahead, be sure to check out my Patreon!!!
Go to https://www.patreon.com/Tang12
...
Together, they mounted their horses and started their slow, looping return to camp beneath. They took a meandering route back, sticking to game trails and dry creek beds to avoid leaving an obvious trail. The sun was beginning its descent, casting long shadows across the Heartlands. Mary-Beth rode beside Caleb, her hand holding tight to her reins. After a comfortable silence, she spoke.
"You know… this wasn't how I expected today to go."
Caleb glanced back. "Good or bad?"
She laughed softly. "Good. Really good. It's nice doing something real for once. Not just doing some laundry or listening to Uncle's tall tales."
Caleb hummed in agreement with a big smile. "You handled yourself well out there. Better than Bill, honestly."
Mary-Beth's grip tightened playfully. "Flatterer."
They lapsed back into silence, the rhythmic clop of hooves and distant calls of birds the only sounds.
Clemens Point was quiet when they returned, most of the gang was either napping, drinking, or out on errands. Dutch, however, was seated at his usual spot, a book in hand but his eyes tracking Caleb and Mary-Beth as they dismounted.
Caleb didn't approach him immediately. Instead, he made a show of depositing the gang's 300 dollars into the lockbox near Dutch's tent, ensuring Dutch himself and everyone saw him do it. Letting them know that he always pulls his weight.
Only then did he stroll over to Dutch.
"Afternoon Dutch," Caleb said casually.
Dutch marked his page with a finger, his gaze knowing. "Afternoon, Caleb. How's the trip this morning? I see that it bore fruit."
"Something like that. Got around 300 dollars for the gang."
Dutch's lips quirked. "That's good son, good work as well Mary-Beth. And where's Bill?"
"Don't know really. We split up as usual after a noisy job, so he should have gone to do whatever he wants to do I guess after getting his cut."
Dutch studied him a moment longer before smiling. "Good. That's really good." He didn't ask for details. He didn't need to.
As Caleb and Mary-Beth turned to leave, Dutch added, "Oh, and Caleb?"
"Yeah?"
"Try to make a habit of this. We need more funds while I've got bigger plans brewing for us."
Caleb nodded. "Of course Dutch."
The warm glow of the late afternoon sun stretched across the camp as after that Caleb and Mary-Beth quietly made their way from Dutch's tent toward the main campfire.
The sounds of the world seemed subdued, the distant chirping of cicadas, the rustle of leaves stirred by the wind, the occasional laughter or murmur from other gang members lounging around camp.
Dutch, still seated with the book half open in his hand, watched them walk in silence. His gaze was steady, observant, but no one knows what was inside that eye. The flicker of a smile but also not a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth before he looked down, turned the page, and resumed reading.
At the campfire, Mary-Beth dropped onto a log bench with a soft exhale, smoothing her skirt and stretching her shoulders. Caleb sat beside her, the familiar scent of smoke and pine mingling in the air. The fire crackled low, more for ambiance than warmth, the day still hanging onto the tail end of summer heat.
They had barely settled when the sharp clip of boots struck the dirt behind them.
"Miss Gaskill!"
Mary-Beth winced slightly before turning, already knowing the voice. It was unmistakable, firm, brisk, and undeniably belonging to Miss Susan Grimshaw.
Miss Grimshaw came into view, arms folded across her chest, eyebrows furrowed with that classic no-nonsense expression she had perfected long before Caleb ever joined the gang.
"Where have you been, girl? We've still got laundry to boil and sewing to mend. Not to mention Pearson's been whining about stew prep all morning!"
Mary-Beth opened her mouth, clearly about to defend herself, but Caleb stood before she could.
"Sorry, Miss Grimshaw," he said quickly, stepping forward with the calm, polite authority he had begun to find when navigating camp politics. "Bill and I had to borrow Mary-Beth this morning. We needed her help with a stagecoach job. It was time sensitive. We didn't mean to cause any trouble back in camp."
Miss Grimshaw's eyes narrowed, lips pursed. "Well, if you'd told me beforehand, Mr. Thorne, I wouldn't be chasing my tail thinking someone ran off or got themselves killed."
"I'll take note of that for the future, Miss Grimshaw," Caleb replied with a smile that was equal parts respectful and disarming. "So I hope you'll go a little easier on Mary-Beth. She was really a big help today after all."
For a moment, Grimshaw's eyes held his. There was a kind of silence there, not hostile, just loaded with unspoken judgments and calculations. Finally, with a small, resigned huff through her nose, she spoke again.
"Fine, Mr. Thorne. This time. But next time, I expect word beforehand, especially if you're pulling girls from their chores from around camp."
"Loud and clear," Caleb nodded with a small bow of the head. "Thank you, Miss Grimshaw."
Miss Grimshaw turned toward Mary-Beth, who tried to sit a little straighter despite her previous defiance.
"Since you've done some work today," Grimshaw said with grudging approval, "you can rest for a bit. But after that, I want to see you with some knitting or darning in hand. This camp doesn't run on sweet smiles."
"Yes, Miss Grimshaw," Mary-Beth replied, her tone dripping with restrained sarcasm and eye rolls, but she still nodded respectfully.
With that, Miss Grimshaw turned sharply on her heel and marched off, continuing her reign of order and responsibility across camp.
As the footsteps faded, Caleb let out a small chuckle and lowered himself back onto the log.
"Sorry for speaking over you," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.
Mary-Beth shook her head, smiling with something bright and tender in her eyes. "No. Thank you. I… I was going to snap at her. You saved me from another lecture, Caleb."
Caleb shrugged with a grin. "I'm just good at taking bullets… even verbal ones."
She laughed gently, then went quiet for a second. Her eyes were down on the ground, fingers nervously smoothing over her skirt. Then, with a softness that cut through the noise of camp, she reached out and took Caleb's hand.
He blinked, startled by the warmth and surprise of her touch. His fingers instinctively curled around hers.
"What's wrong?" he asked, voice low.
Mary-Beth was silent at first, biting the inside of her cheek before finally speaking.
"Do you like me, Caleb?"
The words hit him harder than he expected. A rush of warmth crept up his neck, a bit of panic fluttering in his chest.
"Y-Yes," he stammered. "I do. I think I've shown it a little… through how I treat you and all. I… I mean, I didn't think you'd ask me something like that so directly. Why?"
As he spoke, he didn't realize sweat had formed along his brow. He rubbed it away nervously with his free hand.
Mary-Beth giggled softly, her cheeks tinted red, though her fingers stayed laced with his. His palms were sweating.
"I don't know," she said, voice quiet but honest. "You just… you treat me different. Not like I'm just a silly girl or someone you're trying to impress. It's like… you see me. Really see me. For who I am."
Caleb let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. A slow, warm smile formed on his lips.
"Well," he said, "I'm glad. Because I do see you. Always have."
There was a quiet moment between them, just the two of them sitting close together, fingers entwined, the warmth of the fire brushing their skin. In the distance, someone strummed a guitar and birds settled into the trees for the evening.
"How do you feel about me?" Caleb asked softly. "Do you feel the same way I do?"
Mary-Beth looked down for a moment, then back up into his eyes.
"I think I do," she whispered. "I didn't expect to, not with everything going on. But the more I'm around you, the more I find myself thinking about you… wanting to talk to you… wanting to make you smile."
Caleb's heart beat a little faster. The camp, the stress of loving in this world, Dutch's plans that could go out of the game he knows, and many more, all of it seemed to blur and fall away. This moment was real, sincere, and simple.
"Then I'll keep trying," he said, brushing his thumb lightly across her hand. "I'll keep giving you reasons to smile more and more each day."
Mary-Beth's smile grew a little wider, a little softer. "You're already doing just fine, Caleb."
They stayed there for a while, just sitting in each other's company. Words were no longer needed. The air was heavy with meaning, but peaceful all the same.
Then suddenly a loud crash echoed from Pearson's wagon. They jerked apart as Karen stumbled into view, clutching a bottle of whiskey and laughing a bit drunkenly as she realized she had been found out.
"Oops! Didn't mean to interrupt you two!" she says a bit slurred, waggling her eyebrows.
Mary-Beth groaned, burying her face in her hands. Caleb sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Karen... really? And also at this time of the day?"
Karen hiccuped. "What? Y'all were practically glowin' brighter than the fire! Ain't my fault you're bad at hidin' it. Also, I don't see people complaining when Bill or Uncle or Swanson does the same thing." She staggered off, cackling to herself while at it.
Mary-Beth peeked through her fingers. "Well... that could've gone much worse. Fortunately, it was Karen."
Caleb chuckled. "Yeah. Could've been Bill from all we knew."
She shuddered when she thought of that. "Don't even joke about that."
They lapsed into silence again, but this time, it was comfortable. Mary-Beth's hand found his again, their fingers intertwining.
"So... what now?" she asked.
Caleb thought for a moment. "Now... we take it slow. No need to rush. But... I'd like to court you properly now. If that's alright with you."
Mary-Beth's smile could've lit up the whole camp. "I'd like that Caleb."
Looking at that smile, Caleb didn't know what tomorrow would bring. But tonight, for once, the world felt steady beneath his feet. And Mary-Beth's hand in his felt like home.
From his perch near his tent, Dutch observed the pair with less and less amusement as time passed on. He'd have been keeping an eye on the way Caleb looked at Mary-Beth and vice versa. It was... a truly not so good experience for him, one that he keeps trying to suppress.
Hosea sidled up beside him, following his gaze. "Well, well. Looks like young love between Caleb and Mary-Beth bloomed after all."
Dutch hummed in a low tone. "Seems so, old friend."
"You disapprove of it?"
Dutch kept himself calm as he shook his head. "What? No. Of course not. Just... thinking. Caleb's different from the others. Smart. Careful. If he's sweet on Mary-Beth, it means he's putting down his roots here permanently. That's good for us."
Hosea arched a brow. "Or it means he's got something to lose if things go south with us."
Dutch's smile didn't reach his eyes. "Exactly."
As the day deepened into the evening, most of the gang began to stop doing their work and began to eat and drink.
Caleb and Mary-Beth had changed places into a more secluded area, shoulders brushing as they ate their stew together then talked about nothing and everything. At one point, Mary-Beth leaned her head against his shoulder. "Today was... nice. Even with the shooting and all."
...
Name: Caleb Thorne
Age: 23
Body Attributes:
- Strength: 7/10
- Agility: 6/10
- Perception: 8/10
- Stamina: 7/10
- Charm: 5/10
- Luck: 6/10
Skills:
- Handgun (Lvl 2)
- Rifle (Lvl 2)
- Firearms Knowledge (Lvl 2)
- Past Life Memory (Lvl MAX)
- Knife (Lvl 1)
- Blunt Weapon (Lvl 1)
- Sneaking (Lvl 2)
- Horse Mastery (Lvl 3)
- Poker (Lvl 3)
- Hand to Hand Combat (Lvl 1)
- Eagle Eye (Lvl 1)
- Dead Eye (Lvl 2)
- Bow (Lvl 2)
- Pain Nullifier (Lvl 1)
- Physical Regeneration (Lvl 0)
- Crafting (Lv1)
- Persuasion (Lvl 2)
- Mental Fortitude (Lvl MAX)
- Cooking (Lvl 2)
- Teaching (Lvl 1)
- Germanic Language Proficiency (Lvl MAX)
- Inventory System (Permanent - 5x5x5)
Money: 513 dollars and 45 cents
Inventory: 1111 dollars, 2 gold nuggets, 1 gold bar, 4 silver rings, and 1 Double Action Revolver
Bank: 320 dollars, 4 gold bars, a large bag of jewelry, and 3 gold nuggets